The South Carolina Republican Primary will take place on Saturday, January 21, and Edgefield County voters will have their own opportunity to hear the positions of Republican candidates as the party continues its search for a presidential nominee.

South Carolina is known as the “First in the South” primary and a key state for GOP establishment frontrunners as dating back to President Ronald Reagan each candidate who has secured South Carolina in the primary has gone on to win the party’s nomination.   

With that in mind, the Edgefield County Republican Party will be hold its quarterly meeting at the county council chambers on the evening of January 10, 2012, at 7 p.m.

“We’ll have two or three (representatives) to show up and that’s how it goes,” said County Councilman and Edgefield County Party Chairman Rodney Ashcraft. “The Rick Perry campaign and Ron Paul campaign are really the only solid ones right now (for the meeting). Those are the folks we’ve heard from for that.”

Ashcraft said representatives with the Michelle Bachmann campaign have reached out to the county party as well.

A press release from the ECRP received Tuesday stated, “We are excited to announce that we will be accompanied by South Carolina representatives from various Presidential Campaigns. This will be one of the last days that they have to reach the voters of Edgefield County and they understand that we want to hear what they have to say.”  

According to a CNN poll taken in December, indications are that Newt Gingrich – who will be in Edgefield County on January 14 – is ahead of the field by a wide margin. The poll had forty-three percent of likely GOP primary voters in the Palmetto State backing Gingrich, with Romney a distant second at 20% and a litany of other candidates trailing them with much smaller percentages.

Ashcraft said nothing he has heard while traveling around the community would lead him to believe those poll numbers are off base.

“I have heard a lot of people (in South Carolina) are supporting Newt and I’m not surprised about that at all,” Ashcraft said. “He received a pretty good reception over in Aiken when he came and the street talk is positive as well.”

For county voters looking for area events prior to January 10, there will be a Rally In The Alley in Aiken at 4 p.m. today with Rick Perry in Aiken and later at 6 p.m. at Al’s Family Restaurant in North Augusta. On Saturday, January 14, candidate Newt Gingrich will be in Edgefield County at Old McDonald Fish Camp at 10:30 a.m.  

Also, you visit www.edgefieldgop.com” for updated details this week.